I eagerly anticipated this book and was not disappointed. The book finds a fine balance between stories of hedonism and other really important matters.
Many thanks to both Author and Publisher for yet again another fantastic read.
Matt Anniss' chronicle of the birth of bass-centric dance music in the UK is outstanding in its scope and detail. The foregrounding of race and class is integral to the unfolding of the story and the author is perennially aware of the pitfalls inherent in the received narrative of acid house. Excellent lists of tunes to dig into and entertaining anecdotes abound. Great work from Anniss and Velocity Press.
Great summary of all aspects around starting and managing a record label. Big thanks to Nick for sharing his knowledge & insights!
Absolutely recommendable.
So I’ve been thinking about starting my own label for years but have always put it off due to my lack of knowledge, confidence and drive. I stumbled across the “label machine” and thought I’d give it a read.
I’ve been absolutely blown away with this book.
I’ve worked in the music and radio industry for many years so have some knowledge about royalties etc but mainly in the sync world, I still had lots of unanswered questions and have always found the commercial world a bit confusing.
The books is brilliant! the depth of Nicks knowledge is staggering. He explains things in a clear and easy to understand way.
The first section of the book has left me feeling confident in the business I want to get into.
The second half of this book just gets better and better. It’s like Nick “the label Machine”
are going to be holding my hand every step of the way and showing the route I need to not only set up but also have a successful record Label.
He covers every aspect of setting up a business right down to mindset.
This isn’t a book you’ll read once and put down but a book you’ll carry with you and reference throughout the growth of your Label. It is the holy grail.
An unbelievable achievement 🙌🙌🙌
I don’t know Nick but I want to thank him for the confidence and drive this book has given me.
A real A to Z on how to start and build your own record label. The author is a seasoned professional who shares practical advice and tips needed for each phase of the process.
This book is straight to the point and separated in a way that actually makes sense! I've been reading all the books that people have claimed are the "bible of the music business", but those sound like legal jargon and don't include nearly as much information as this book does! As you can see from my images, I have marked all the items I felt were important, and wrote in all the columns — the best part is that you can contact the author to dive deeper into something you need a little bit more clarity, or how to apply to a specific situation. This should replace everything as the "bible of the music business".
I appreciate the information and format that Nick has created. I have been following along with the directions Nick gives and I am on my way towards living a dream, to help put out good music. The resources that have been put together would have taken me way to long to accumulate and the response from the community helps keep me going. I am so glad I found this book and excited to see where it takes me!
I've read several of the "how to run a label" books out there and they're all pretty good, but it wasn't until I discovered this book that it all "clicked". Nick writes from his own personal experience of actually succeeding in the music industry. I was a fan of his labels for years before discovering this book so I can honestly attest to that.
If you really want to learn how to run a successful label, with highly useful current information, this is the book you need. When you combine it with his course online, you have all the working blueprints you need to run a successful label.
A brilliant thought-provoking 2nd instalment.
An absolute pleasure of a book from start to finish.
I can’t recommend a book highly enough.
5 stars all day long!
For fans of book 1, yes there’s Tour Manager, yes there’s plenty of searingly honest critiques of DJs and DJing (some might sting a little guys) but it’s the nailed-on analysis of where the world is that sets it apart from its predecessor. It’s as much a voice of the resistance as it is a rib-destroying collection of demonic dance music anecdotes. Oh, and the David Bowie one will break your heart.
Laurent Fintoni's Bedroom Beats and B-Sides draws together seemingly disparate narratives of hip-hop and electronic music culture into a coherent patchwork, the edges of which extend far out into the distance, like the tendrils of a funky plant reaching right across the planet. Primarily focusing on the trans-Atlantic connection between the UK and USA, the book covers seminal artists, releases, labels and club nights - notably the likes of Warp Records, Mo Wax, Low End Theory and the Dilla/Madlib connection - drawing from 100+ interviews and guided by Fintoni's own experiences with the scenes and artists discussed. Each section in the book is headed by a track ID, so you can explore relevant musical examples as you read, and the footnotes are often illuminating. Fintoni generally does a good job of addressing sex/ism and race/ism both within the music industry as well as in the discourse around it, though when he makes the claim that, "At its root beat culture is Black and Brown and queer culture," he does little to account for queer influence on or contribution to the music. On the whole, this is a comprehensive work, covering over 20 years of music culture in surprising detail in just 350 pages, making it my favourite book yet from Velocity Press.
The minute I heard this updated version was being published I jumped on the pre-order, such was my excitement. Unfortunately, it didn't completely live up to my expectations and has left me feeling somewhat ambivalent. The content and themes are solid, however the book's structure of focusing on a style/subgenre per chapter means following a chronological timeline becomes nigh on impossible, with James zigzagging back and forth between dates. James presents some great anecdotes and is at times insightful, but the lack of inline citations or footnotes is a real let-down. He's done a decent job of addressing issues of class and race, however the topic of gender gets only the smallest of mentions. The book's strengths are in highlighting quality music and remembering the formative labels, club nights and artists of the scene. The recommend listening lists are excellent, and anyone with even a passing interest in jungle/drum & bass is sure to discover some quality tunes. Unfortunately there are a number of typos throughout and the typesetting could have been better. Despite these minor shortcomings, this book is essential reading for junglists everywhere and makes for a good companion to Brian Belle-Fortune's All Crews.
gford1155 (Guest) –
I eagerly anticipated this book and was not disappointed. The book finds a fine balance between stories of hedonism and other really important matters. Many thanks to both Author and Publisher for yet again another fantastic read.
Joel Pearson (Guest) –
Matt Anniss' chronicle of the birth of bass-centric dance music in the UK is outstanding in its scope and detail. The foregrounding of race and class is integral to the unfolding of the story and the author is perennially aware of the pitfalls inherent in the received narrative of acid house. Excellent lists of tunes to dig into and entertaining anecdotes abound. Great work from Anniss and Velocity Press.
Michael Ritter –
Great summary of all aspects around starting and managing a record label. Big thanks to Nick for sharing his knowledge & insights! Absolutely recommendable.
Ronnie –
Really love the Label Machine. It's a great tool for independent Artists and Labels and also gives a great overall view on the music industry.
Jamie Jackson –
Everything you need to know to start, build and grow you own record label. Good luck and wish you all the most success!
Jason –
So I’ve been thinking about starting my own label for years but have always put it off due to my lack of knowledge, confidence and drive. I stumbled across the “label machine” and thought I’d give it a read. I’ve been absolutely blown away with this book. I’ve worked in the music and radio industry for many years so have some knowledge about royalties etc but mainly in the sync world, I still had lots of unanswered questions and have always found the commercial world a bit confusing. The books is brilliant! the depth of Nicks knowledge is staggering. He explains things in a clear and easy to understand way. The first section of the book has left me feeling confident in the business I want to get into. The second half of this book just gets better and better. It’s like Nick “the label Machine” are going to be holding my hand every step of the way and showing the route I need to not only set up but also have a successful record Label. He covers every aspect of setting up a business right down to mindset. This isn’t a book you’ll read once and put down but a book you’ll carry with you and reference throughout the growth of your Label. It is the holy grail. An unbelievable achievement 🙌🙌🙌 I don’t know Nick but I want to thank him for the confidence and drive this book has given me.
La Quetta M. Shamblee –
A real A to Z on how to start and build your own record label. The author is a seasoned professional who shares practical advice and tips needed for each phase of the process.
Gregg Allen –
Thank you for creating this great book. I've read over 30 books on the music industry and this is by far the best one.
Angie –
This book is straight to the point and separated in a way that actually makes sense! I've been reading all the books that people have claimed are the "bible of the music business", but those sound like legal jargon and don't include nearly as much information as this book does! As you can see from my images, I have marked all the items I felt were important, and wrote in all the columns — the best part is that you can contact the author to dive deeper into something you need a little bit more clarity, or how to apply to a specific situation. This should replace everything as the "bible of the music business".
J.M. –
I appreciate the information and format that Nick has created. I have been following along with the directions Nick gives and I am on my way towards living a dream, to help put out good music. The resources that have been put together would have taken me way to long to accumulate and the response from the community helps keep me going. I am so glad I found this book and excited to see where it takes me!
Gerry –
I've read several of the "how to run a label" books out there and they're all pretty good, but it wasn't until I discovered this book that it all "clicked". Nick writes from his own personal experience of actually succeeding in the music industry. I was a fan of his labels for years before discovering this book so I can honestly attest to that. If you really want to learn how to run a successful label, with highly useful current information, this is the book you need. When you combine it with his course online, you have all the working blueprints you need to run a successful label.
gford1155 (Guest) –
A brilliant thought-provoking 2nd instalment. An absolute pleasure of a book from start to finish. I can’t recommend a book highly enough. 5 stars all day long!
si_independiente (Guest) –
For fans of book 1, yes there’s Tour Manager, yes there’s plenty of searingly honest critiques of DJs and DJing (some might sting a little guys) but it’s the nailed-on analysis of where the world is that sets it apart from its predecessor. It’s as much a voice of the resistance as it is a rib-destroying collection of demonic dance music anecdotes. Oh, and the David Bowie one will break your heart.
Joel Pearson (Guest) –
Laurent Fintoni's Bedroom Beats and B-Sides draws together seemingly disparate narratives of hip-hop and electronic music culture into a coherent patchwork, the edges of which extend far out into the distance, like the tendrils of a funky plant reaching right across the planet. Primarily focusing on the trans-Atlantic connection between the UK and USA, the book covers seminal artists, releases, labels and club nights - notably the likes of Warp Records, Mo Wax, Low End Theory and the Dilla/Madlib connection - drawing from 100+ interviews and guided by Fintoni's own experiences with the scenes and artists discussed. Each section in the book is headed by a track ID, so you can explore relevant musical examples as you read, and the footnotes are often illuminating. Fintoni generally does a good job of addressing sex/ism and race/ism both within the music industry as well as in the discourse around it, though when he makes the claim that, "At its root beat culture is Black and Brown and queer culture," he does little to account for queer influence on or contribution to the music. On the whole, this is a comprehensive work, covering over 20 years of music culture in surprising detail in just 350 pages, making it my favourite book yet from Velocity Press.
Joel Pearson (Guest) –
The minute I heard this updated version was being published I jumped on the pre-order, such was my excitement. Unfortunately, it didn't completely live up to my expectations and has left me feeling somewhat ambivalent. The content and themes are solid, however the book's structure of focusing on a style/subgenre per chapter means following a chronological timeline becomes nigh on impossible, with James zigzagging back and forth between dates. James presents some great anecdotes and is at times insightful, but the lack of inline citations or footnotes is a real let-down. He's done a decent job of addressing issues of class and race, however the topic of gender gets only the smallest of mentions. The book's strengths are in highlighting quality music and remembering the formative labels, club nights and artists of the scene. The recommend listening lists are excellent, and anyone with even a passing interest in jungle/drum & bass is sure to discover some quality tunes. Unfortunately there are a number of typos throughout and the typesetting could have been better. Despite these minor shortcomings, this book is essential reading for junglists everywhere and makes for a good companion to Brian Belle-Fortune's All Crews.